Packaging films for food products can be as simple as a mono-layer film or multiple layers joined together with various lamination methods. Packaging films for food products are often formed from multi-layered polymeric laminates. These polymeric laminates are typically joined by adhesive, extrusion or co-extrusion of the various polymeric layers of the laminate. Extrusion, and particularly coextrusion, manufacturing processes have found commercial favor because they lend themselves to cost-efficient, high-speed production of large quantities of laminates.
However, extrusion and coextrusion processes do require substantial time for initial setup and for changeovers from one production run to another. Changing the lamination process conditions, equipment and purging raw materials contribute to the set up and change over time. Given these downtime issues, extrusion lamination is less efficient for the manufacture of comparatively small batches of laminate products.
What is needed therefore is an improved method for joining of layers to create small batches of films, such as packaging films, which provides greater flexibility in production of small runs of multi-layered laminations while still providing many of the efficiency benefits of high-speed adhesive or extrusion lamination techniques and meeting end-product packaging requirements.